he is personally engaged in the defense strategy. he has met with leon panetta, chairman dempsey and other leaders six times. in december the president took the unprecedented step of bringing the combat leaders to the white house. having said having said that, it is important to point out that the cuts that we have discussed around which the strategic review is being written a about now were agreed to on a bipartisan basis. the important part of this process is that the strategy, first, and the reductions are driven by the strategy. they are not across the board. they're not random. that is the approach the president will take. >> above and beyond that, we

will see double that amount of cuts if there is a sequestration. does the white house plan to give us a a glimpse of what those cuts could mean when the budget is released in february? >> not that i am aware of. we firmly believe that congress should fulfill the responsibility it took upon itself as a result of the budget control act, and take actions necessary to ensure the sequestration never happens. it was designed to be onerous, so would never took place, as an alternative neither party preferred, and therefore would compel both parties to compromise in finding a broader, balanced approach to deficit reduction. we believe that even though the super committee's tenure has expired, there is ample

opportunity if congress and republicans are willing to go along with what everyone who takes a serious issue -- this issue seriously acknowledges, that we to have a budget reduction, the sequestration will never be an issue. >> on all mile, will there be new policy unveiled there? >> i do not want to get ahead of the president. i do not have anything specific to say about his remarks in ohio, except they will be focused on the economy and what he can do as the president to deliver on his promise to do everything he can to help the middle class, grow the economy, and create jobs, working with congress collaborative flee where we can, and either through private sector or with executive

action where we must. that is the message he will bring to ohio, and it is a message you have heard him deliver around the country since he introduced the american jobs act in september. this is his focus. this is the primary focus of his domestic efforts right now, and it is a continuation of a cause that began for his decision to run first for the senate, then for the presidency. this is a theme that has dominated his time on the national stage and will continue because as he said he will not rest until he knows that every american who is looking for a job will find a job. yes. welcome back to the white house. >> one domestic, one international -- on the domestic question, could you give us

more clarity on this with or without congress? it is interpreted by some, gingrich for example, as virtually a minority. if the president says i cannot work with congress, i will do it myself, there is a lot of criticism. could you explain exactly what the idea is, and whether it could backfire? >> sure. i appreciate the question. the president has made clear for a long time now that he will do whatever he can to help the economy growth, create jobs, to protect the middle class -- a lot of that work needs to be done and has to be done with congress. after he introduced the american jobs act and pushed, and pushed, and pushed congress to act on the american jobs at, some provisions were acted on, and he

will not let up on that pressure. he hopes and anticipates congress will return to washington and republicans will show a willingness to work with him to deliver on this number one priority, which is the need to continue to have the economy grow, continued its recovery, and continue the job creation we need to bring down the unemployment rate. so, this is not an either/or. he will work with congress, and we believe there will be opportunities to work with congress, beginning with extending the payroll tax cut for the full calendar year. we absolutely believe congress will do the right thing and continue on the work that was finally achieved in late- december, and extend the payroll tax and unemployment insurance for the full calendar year. there are more things than need to be done. there are more elements of the

jobs at that we believe, as we did from the beginning, merit bipartisan consideration and support. this country is in crying need of work on its infrastructure. now is a great time to do that work. there has historically been bipartisan support for a supporting infrastructure projects across the country. we hope to work with congress to take action on that to continue to grow the economy and create jobs. separate from that, we cannot wait for congress to act, and when congress refuses to act, when republicans choose the path of obstruction the president is not going to sit here. gridlock in washington is not an excuse for inaction. he will take the actions he could take using his authority

to halt the costs, to help americans deal with this -- help the cause, help americans deal with this struggling economy. they do not have to be executive actions, they could deal with the private sector, so he will support all actions. it does not suggest that he does not want to engage in -- with congress. he wants to continue to work with congress. he and his divisors believe there will be opportunities to cooperate -- advisers believe there will be opportunities to cooperate with congress. as a purely political matter, we believe some members of congress who have pursued an obstruction path might see it in their political interest to demonstrate the they could get some things done to their constituents, and we hope that is the case still, we will take

everett -- case. so, will take every approach available to us on behalf of the american people. >> the taliban are apparently opening up an office in qatar, and are asking for a return of taliban prisoners held in guantanamo bay. as the white house looked those conditions? >> two things -- as the president said in june, peace cannot come to afghanistan without a political settlement. the president made clear we would participate in the afghan-led reconciliation efforts, and we of all is said that taliban reconciliation -- we have always said the taliban reconciliation would only come on the condition of breaking from al-qaida, abandoning violence, and abiding by the afghan constitution, and that remains the case. this is about u.s. support for

an afghan-lead process as far -- process. as far as releasing prisoners, we are not in a position to discuss individual detainees, but our goal in closing guantanamo bay is widely understood. >> will the president be accompanied in cleveland tomorrow? >> i do not have any specifics to give on tomorrow. >> when he is talking to supporters in iowa tonight, you're talking about the relationship with china, is there any -- relationship with congress, is there any change with regard to the 2012 strategy? >> i do not think so. his approach is to engage, to press congress to take action on

the highest priorities of the american people which are now focused on the american economy, growth, and job creation, and he will continue to do that in a wet etch maximizes the potential for a positive res -- which maximizes the potential for a positive result. that is why you saw him traveling the country talking about the need for congress to take action on the american jobs act and to extend the payroll tax cut, providing money for jobs, which will build the foundation this economy needs. he will continue to do that. we had some success with that approach. in the end, we were able to pass some measures of the american job act. we were able to pass the payroll tax cut for two months ended is

not conceivable the converse was not extended for the calendar year. that will be a good thing for the average american family. that will help them make ends meet, and it will help the economy by pumping the money back into local businesses, which in turn will seek to hire more people. >> is the president happy with a relationship that the way you describe it yielded some success? >> well, he is focused on making the relationship work for the american people, and requires a cooperative relationship where he and members of congress, leaders and rank-and-file members, are willing to compromise to get essential things done. we saw some progress in 2011. do not forget we passed important trade agreements, as

well as measures from the american jobs at, and we anticipate there will be other opportunities this year as members of congress choose to do the right thing for the economy, and see it in their political interest to demonstrate to their constituents that they delivered on the american people's overwhelming number one priority. >> recently there have been members of the staff that said 60-70 democratic members passed on legislation. do you think speaker john boehner should give the of the strategy to require things get passed by a republican majority? >> i would not presume to tell speaker john boehner what his best political approach should be. what i think is best for the american people is that everyone

recognizes we have divided government. that is the fundamental nature of our system and in this instance we have a situation where there is a democratic president, republicans control the house, and they have a lot of power in the senate because of their ability and willingness to filibuster virtually anything. that means that to get real things done, there has to be bipartisan cooperation. there is no other way around it. the president is committed to that kind of approach throughout his presidency and the duration of this congress. he will continue to take that approach. >> with the payroll tax increase, speaker john boehner had to go back to the drawing board. covering this, we knew there

were a substantial number of democratic votes. why do not think that was a part of his calculation when it was part of the ultimate deal? >> again, i would not want to guess what was going through any congressional leader's mind during that process. i know the focus of the president was extending the payroll tax cut, and there was no exception to that focus. he knew it had to happen. it was the right thing for the economy and the hundred 60 million americans who -- want to 60 million americans who could not afford to have their taxes go up this week -- 160 million americans who could not afford to have their taxes go up this week. he kept the pressure on the congress to act, and in the end they did. i think the point you are making is worth remembering in that there was a process through

much of last year where a segment of the house republican caucus seemed to dictate the direction the house republicans would take, which prevented the kind of compromise that might have been achieved in some other areas, and that is regrettable. hopefully, the dynamic will change this year because the american people demand it. they really want washington to work for them. they do not really care about ideological purity, or the psychic benefits of winning by losing. they want their elected officials in washington to compromise and do the right thing for the economy and jobs. all the way in the back. yes. >> does the white house have any concerns with south america?

[unintelligible] is there any concern that he has taken advantage of that? >> i would disagree with the assertion about this administration's focus. we have a robust level of engagement with latin america that has persisted for three years. the president made an important trip to the region in the spring of last year. we continue to engage at many levels with latin america. iranian behavior that we are focused on right now is the refusal to live up to international obligations with regards to its nuclear program, and what we a scene out of iran is a series of indications that the pressure on them is mounting, and their economy and

leadership is feeling the impact of that pressure. that is a we are focused on. >> from south america to america, [unintelligible] >> we are focused on our engagement with central and south america which we continue to have a robust level. we of important partnerships with countries in the region that we will continue to develop and grow both economically -- both economically and diplomatically. with iran, we will focus clearly on iran's on willingness to get right with the world and become responsible with regard to international obligations. margaret. >> can you give us beyond tomorrow any sense for the rest of the week?

>> you want a week ahead? >> yes it is a new year, -- yes. it is a new year, and the violence in syria continues. can you talk about what is happening -- does president obama think he might need to adopt more of a libya-type approach? what will happen next? >> thank you for your question. i will say what i said in the past. the president takes no auctions off the table but we are very focused on a diplomatic approach, and it has been 16 days since the syrian regime sign the protocol of -- protocol, and we've made clear the 50 initiative is not and

lamented the international community will have to consider new measures -- implemented, the international community will lead to consider new measures. if sniper fire and murder continues, it will be clear that the requirements have not been met. so, we are going to continue to work with international partners. we believe it is past time for the security council to act. we want to see the international community stand together united in support of the legitimacy aspirations of the syrian people, but we are working with international powers to increase pressure on the aside regime, -- asaad regime. >> and the week ahead? >> i do not have a week ahead.

i just do not. [laughter] >> does it depend on what happens in iowa? [laughter] >> it depends not a bit on what happens in iowa. we are very confident the president is going to win overwhelmingly in the democratic caucus tonight. [laughter] >> we will give you more details on the rest of the week as they become available. >> your deputy announced he is getting engaged. we congratulate him. [applause] >> a wonderful development. as a transition -- [laughter] >> in these questions about a relationship with congress, one josh said if the plainfield

includes working with congress, all the better, but that is no longer a requirement you were saying a moment ago that the american people -- requirement. you were saying a moment ago the american people want washington to work together. >> appointed we are making -- the point that we are making is that during the many engagements with congress in the previous year, 2011, when that we all remember very well was the multi-week process that became known as the debt ceiling crisis or debt ceiling negotiations, and one important or under- appreciated outcome of that process which did not, unfortunately, resulting in both sides coming together around a grand bargain because in the end speaker john boehner did not have enough republicans to support that, was the

president's insistence that republicans could not force this country to go through that crisis again every six months ago, -- or so, which was their stated desire. the president prevailed in insuring that would not happen. the debt ceiling issue had been removed from the table until 2013. i think that is very important for the american people, because as some of as noted at the end of december, some of the stated concern about the uncertainty created by a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut coming from the same corner of congress where people were not just willing to throw the global economy into an uncertain state, but seemed to be relishing the prospect of it by having the united states default on obligations was very ironic.

the president made sure through those negotiations that led to the budget control act that that would not happen again in this congress. so, i think that is what we are talking about. obviously, there is business we will and must do with congress, and there is absolutely business we want to do with congress, and as i said earlier we are somewhat hopeful that congress in this regard i mean republicans, -- and in this regard i mean republicans, will be more willing to compromise as they view it in their own self- interest to do so. i know the focus has largely been lately on the primaries in terms of the polling data, but it also shows that this congress registers historically-low levels of approval among the american people, and polling

data shows that a huge number of american people view this congress to be the worst in history. that cannot be good on your resume as your running for reelection in november. i think people associate the obstructionism with the republican party. it is a problem for republicans in the house. we hope the dynamic will continue to change in a way that leads to the opportunity for cooperation and compromise. >> four years ago tonight in iowa, the president mentioned health care reform, iraq, ending the war, and also a world where america sees itself as a nation less divided and more united, and a talking point mitt romney has been pushing is that this president is a great divider and has not met with speaker john

boehner in six months. >> i think he had to admit that was not the case. in the interview, it was pointed out it had been more recent than that, and they have spoken on the phone. there is no question that washington remains too partisan , that folks here place party over country too often. certainly, the president feels that way, and he continues to work on doing everything he can to bring the country together and washington together. what we have seen, and i think it is simply a matter of fact if you look a service of the american people, is unfortunately republicans in

congress have pursue the path of blocking and obstructing everything whether it is the nominations and appointments, and things they used to support -- enjoy bipartisan support -- things that used to enjoy bipartisan support like payroll tax cuts and deficit spending. a lot of folks have asked me about the president running against a do-nothing congress, and in fact the president would like nothing more than to be deprived of the opportunity to run against a do-nothing congress. so, we continue to look for to those opportunities. >> on that point, it is still accurate that the payroll tax and the unemployment insurance are the only must-do pieces on the agenda this year? >> it is accurate in the sense

that it is an absolute necessity for the economy and the president is committed to making it happen. we believe it is not conceivable that republicans in congress would want to go through this process again and somehow prevent it from happening. would be bad for the economy and for 160 americans. -- it would be bad for the economy and for 160 americans. again, we're talking about the comparisons to 2011, where because of the leverage the republicans took on because of linking raising the debt ceiling to deficit reduction and the game of chicken they engaged in around the summer, that was damaging to the economy, and the president, as president, had to do everything he could to prevent default. that was a very challenging situation.

he made short in the negotiations that led to the budget control -- he made sure in the negotiations that led to the budget control act the republicans in congress would not get their wish to do this again in december of 2011, or in 2012, which is good for the economy and the american people. that means debt ceiling issues are not must do this year, which is a good thing. >> in terms of what is happening with the taliban, you mentioned the u.s. objectives in a negotiated settlement, but do you have any specific reaction to the opening of the office in qatar? is that a positive development? >> we welcome any step of the afghan-lead process toward reconciliation. we are mindful of the fact of the standards for reconciliation have not changed, and the

conditions, rather, that the insurgents were willing to lay down their arms and reconcile must meet in order to be accepted by the afghan government, and by us. yes. >> you said you were hopeful that congress would come back and be more amenable to compromise. can you talk about what is making you hopeful, and are you hopeful they're more willing to compromise over the issue of new revenue -- a more balanced approach to some of these issues? >> we are more hopeful, or rather hopeful that congress will return in a more cooperative mode. again, it is important to point out that we dho trade s past. we had pent reform done. sel ements othe americanobs act s passed,

and that reps significant paanooperation. it is not nearly enough, and thatwhy th presidents going to continue to push congresske to taction. we are hopeful for the reasons tated. the dynamic may have changed a little bit for republicans in congress, and perhaps their assessments about what the best approach is for their constituents might have changed, and that could create opportunity for compromise. the principal focus the president has is on economic growth and job creation. it would certainly be a welcome development if republicans also fell in line with the vast majority of american people who will lead a balanced approach is the right approach to deal with deficit reduction. that would be a good development and a welcome indication of the willingness to compromise. for those reasons, and perhaps beyond the economic sphere there

are opportunities for cooperation, too, so the president is committed to doing that, and additionally to taking action where congress will not, because we cannot wait. >> when will the president push for the payroll tax -- [unintelligible] >> before we get into the process of negotiating away the payroll tax cut will be extended for the full year, and i was just a we are confident that it will be. given what happened at the end of december, it seems unlikely to me the republicans in congress would not want to extend the payroll tax cup for the full calendar year -- tax cut for the full calendar year. how those negotiations play out, we will let them get under way before we begin to lay odds. >> won international question --

do have any timeline about when the decision will be made about the president of yemen? >> i did not have the timeline, but the situation remains the same, and the u.s. is still considering the request to enter the united states for the sole purpose of medical treatment. >> related to progress, the president has shown how we wants to run against a congress, but many democratic incumbents are running and are concerned they would get painted with the same brush. how will the president explain to voters that he is talking about congress in a nuanced way? we of one chamber obviously controlled by democrats, if so how will he be helping them? >> when i have been saying for a large portion of this briefing -- what i have been saying for a large portion of this briefing

is the president would be delighted to not run against a do-nothing congress if republicans would be willing to do something to prevent him from taking that approach. the fact is i think it is pretty clear to most americans and was quite evident at the end of last year which members of congress had been blocking mainstream, traditional a bipartisan solutions for the challenges we face economically. but, this president remains hopeful and committed to working with congress, both parties, to take action in those areas where congress did not take action last year. so, as far as who voters -- i think voters are pretty sophisticated, and i think they understand where the obstacles have been raised and by whom, so

we will trust in their wisdom as this proceeds. we are really not focused on the election right now. we have a campaign operation in chicago that is up and running and will do important work on behalf of the reelection effort, but the president himself does not have a primary, obviously, and is focused on the werke ag to build the needs to do on behalf of the merit -- work he absolutely needs to do on behalf of the american people. >> the president did not do a full-blown press conference at the end of the year. can we expect one before the state of the union? >> it is possible. you heard from the president quite a bit in december, and engaged with him quite a bit. we did not have an end-of-year

press conference like was held at that end of 2010, but was not held at the end of 2009, if i recall. i'm sure there will be chances in the months to come. >> in the new year, can you talk about what the president sees as what he is able to do to get the israelis and the palestinians back to the table? what is it he thinks he can do? >> let me say we welcome and support the positive development that you mentioned, and we applaud the actions of kingdom to a lot of jordan to bring the parties together. -- king abdullah of jordan to bring the parties together. as for the president's engagement, he will continue to take the approach that he is taken, which is engaging

directly with leaders in the region, in power in his senior officials -- and powering his senior officials to participate in that action, and take the actions that he hopes will guide the parties together because ultimately the two-state solution can only be achieved -- the outcome both parties say they want can only be achieved at the negotiating table, and he is doing everything he can to bring them together. this is obviously a challenging issue, but the president focused on doing what he can to make it happen. >> in almost two years, he will have brought everyone here. will he bring them back? >> i did not any announcements today, but he will be focused on that and a whole other host of

issues. these factors are a reminder that president obama has a consuming day job that he will be engaged in that is entirely separate from political campaigns, and we are quite a time away from when that will be engaged in aggressively by the president. thank you all very much. [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] >> jay carney mentioning the president speaking to a democratic caucus in iowa tonight. he will be speaking from washington. our live coverage begins this evening of the republican caucuses. we will bring you the latest campaign events and how the candidates are lining up.

p/m/, our 6:55p preview program. >> go to facebook for exclusive behind the scenes pictures of c- span on the ground in iowa and the road to the white house video clip of the day. and to the comments and answer our poll question right now lead cspan.ok.com \ >> candidates are getting ready for their final campaign stops. rick perry will meet with employees of the financial group, and michele bachmann is on her way to cedar falls. the leader in recent polls, mitt

romney, has no scheduled stops this afternoon. his next public appearance is expected after the caucus results are announced. we will show you a stop yesterday in clive, iowa. ♪

>> good evening. happy new year, iowa. i have the privilege of representing the state of south dakota in the united states senate. i am delighted to be in iowa this evening on caucus eve. tomorrow, you all are going to cast a very important vote. i would take seriously the responsibility you have. we all respect the prominent role you play in our democracy. this year is a crossroads election for our nation. we have to get this right. the reason i am here this evening is because i believe we have an opportunity to elect a leader who can take us in an entirely different direction. we had a president who campaigned for years ago in the state of iowa who talked a lot about hope and change. people in this country are not very hopeful today, because they have received change, and it has all been in the wrong direction. if you look at what has happened since this president has taken office in these past

three years, you've seen unemployment go up. you have nearly 2 million more unemployed people than when he took office. you have seen the fuel costs in this country that have attacked everybody's pocket books almost doubled. the cost of health care has gone up almost 25%, notwithstanding the assertions that obama would drive health costs down. the number of people on food stamps is up by nearly 40%. the debt we are handing to our children and grandchildren has gone up by nearly 40% since the president took office. the only thing that has gone down is housing prices. but that is the obama record on the economy. high unemployment and massive amounts of debt. it is time for us to go in a different direction. [applause] and we are fortunate to have

someone running for office who has the right experience, the right background, the right expertise, and the know how to grow jobs the old-fashioned way, in the private economy. to get this economy going again by doing away with the excessive regulation and the workstation that is keeping this economy from getting back on its feet. we have someone who has experience creating jobs in the private sector, who has turned up failing enterprises around, turned the olympics around, turned the state of massachusetts around, somebody who can get this country rolling again. i hope will not miss an opportunity, starting tomorrow night, to make mitt romney our representatives in the united states. [applause] if you want a president who

understands the greatness of this country is not in government institutions, and you do not make this country better by massively expanding the size of government, by what we've seen in this presidency -- if you want a president who understands the great jobs, the ingenuity, the innovation, the hard work of the american people and the small businesses that really create jobs -- if you want a president who is going to put the american worker back to work, we have the right person. when i would goes to the polls tomorrow, i hope you will think about the qualifications that we need in the white house in our next president, the kind of leader we need, the kind of experience we need. secondly, think about who, when it comes to november 2012, can win this election, but the

president obama, and take this country in a new and different direction that is consistent with our historical heritage and the restores america's greatness. i hope you will agree that the nominee for the republican party and the ex-president of the united states is mitt romney. will you give a warm iowa welcome to mitt romney? [applause] ♪ ♪ >> my goodness.

look at this. you are so kind to be here. wow. thank you. thank you des moines. [chanting "mitt"] >> what a thrill. what a way to get started. this is exciting for me and my family. i say my family because they are here. there are other elected officials here. one has been organizing to get congressmen to help out. where is he hiding out over here? there he is. i want to say thank you to jason for the work he has done in congress.

he got 47 congressmen to help out. congressman blake is also helping us out. i would like introduce my family first. no applause. wait, because there are a lot of them. this is my oldest son, father of four. this is my son matt, father of four. this is josh, father of five. and here comes the baby of the family, father of two sons. you can give applause to these guys. thank you guys. our son ben is a doctor. he is in residency and cannot be here tonight, because he is doing his job at the hospital. this is the youngest of the children, and she is not my daughter. this is someone i must have seen in elementary school. when i was in fourth grade, she was in second grade. i would not have noticed, i

don't imagine. but when she was just about 16, i went to a party and i saw her there. i was impressed. she had come with someone else. i said to the guy who brought her, "i live closer to ann than you do -- why don't you let me give her a ride home?" we have been going steady ever since. my wife, ann romney. >> that was a warm welcome. we love that, and we need that. we need all of your passion to give us the wind in our sails and purchase all the way to the nomination to make sure this is the next president of the united states. [applause] i am glad to be here. i am glad to have my son is here.

they look so nice and well- dressed and well behaved. i like to remind people that there is a time in their lives when they were not like that. anyone here, i would love to know this. anyone who is the mother or father oklahoma all boys in the audience? then you all know what i am talking about. all they do is wrestle, bounce a ball, and fight. when i was a young mom, mitt was traveling often. he would call home. he would hear a very exasperated wife on the phone, at her wit's end. he would say, "hang in there. i will be home soon." and he would remind me of something i loved. he would say, "what you are doing is more important than what i am doing. your job is more important than mine." i loved that. and he was right, by the way. he reminded me that his job would come and go.

but this would be forever. and he is so right. and i was so grateful to have that kind of a partnership that kept us having the right perspective in those hard years. it has been a wonderful 42 years of marriage. we have a lot of grandkids now. and i would like to remind you the best part of being a grandmother is watching my grandchildren misbehave. i just tell these boys, "you deserve it." it has been an exciting few days in iowa. in 24 hours, we need to get this process started, and we need to give mitt the energy he needs to push us forward to victory. thank you all for being so great and being here. >> thank you, sweetheart. i was taking videotapes on

youtube, and looking at candidates obama going around iowa about four years ago, campaigning. he was making a lot of promises. there is a huge gap between his promises and his performance. he said he was quick to get us working again. he talked about repairing the nation and preparing the world. a lot has happened over the last three years, but those are not the things that happened. one of the greatest threats we face is what is going on in iran as they move toward denuclearization. he has failed to put in place crippling sanctions. he failed to speak out when the dissidents took to the streets. he has failed to put together a credible military plans that would dissuade the iranians of their folly. and then there is the economy itself. he went to the american people and said, i am going to borrow $787 billion and keep

unemployment below 8%. it has not been below 8% since. by the way, that 8% number is 25 million people who have stopped looking for work, or who have part-time work and need full-time employment. this is not just a statistic. these numbers mean real people. if you have been out of work for an extended time, it means a depression, trouble in marriage, and trouble at home. in other cases, people lose their faith. being out of work is tough. this president did not cause the recession, but he made it worse, and it lasted longer because of his policy. we faced another problem. the government was borrowing too much. he was critical of president bush are win more than he spent. he has borrowed three times that much every year. and he is on track -- by the end of his first term, his only

term, by the way -- [applause] by the end of that first term, he will have put together as much public debt, almost as all the presidents combined. i remember after he was inaugurated he went on the today show. and he said, "if i can get this economy to turn around in three years, i will be looking at a one term proposition." i am here to collect. we are taking it back. to get people working, i am convinced it helps to create jobs. it helps to have a job. i can use the private sector experience to get people working again. how do you do that? one estimate america once again the most attractive place in the world for innovators, pioneers, and businesses of all

kinds, so they come and invest here. i saw that the head of coca- cola -- talk about an american iconic business. he said that a more favorable business environment is in china than in the united states. i am going to change that. we will make it more attractive here than anywhere else in the world. i will do that by getting our tax code right. i will do that by putting a stop to all the obamacare regulations and throwing out those that kill american jobs. [applause] i will do that by opening up new markets for american goods so we can sell around the world. i will crack down on china, who of been stealing our designs, our know-how, our brands. they have been hacking into our computers. that has got to stop. i will stop it, if i am president of the united states.

there is one more thing we can do to make this an attractive place for enterprises, businesses, pioneers, and job creators. that is to find a ticker advantage of our oil, our gas, our coal. let us get energy secure with our own energy. [applause] i also have to balance the budget. i have to cap federal spending and balance the budget. how do you go about doing that? let me tell you how you do that. there we go. that is one idea. he has got an idea. it is not the same as mine, but i appreciate your right to express it. my view is this. when you do to get our budget in line is to take all the programs the federal government has and you say, "which of these

programs is so critical you have to have them," and those things we keep. those that do not pass, you have to get rid of. is this program so critical is worth far in money from china to do that? we are going to get rid of some programs, even some we like. this is what i would get rid of, day one. let us get rid of obamacare. [applause] amtrak ought to stand on its own feet, or its own wheels. i like the national endowment for the arts and for the humanities, but i am not willing to borrow money to pay for it. i like that my kid can watch big bird on tv. but because they do not have advertising, the government has to put in a check. i do not think that is right. i do not want to borrow money from china.

[applause] i just do not think it is immoral for us as a nation to borrow money, knowing that my generation will never pay it back, and the next generation will have to pay those burdens. it is wrong. we have to get america on track to a balanced budget. and i will do it. [applause] but i think you know this campaign is about even more than jobs, as important as that is, and even more than reining in the scale of the government, important as that is. this is also a campaign about two very different directions for america. one is represented by the vision of the founders. i love our patriotic music. there is a song, "america the beautiful." o beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain. if corn counts as an amber waves of grain, you are in that

song. but one of the other versus says this. o beautiful for patriot dream that sees beyond the years. the idea is that the founders, in crafting america, in writing the declaration of independence and the constitution, created something that sees beyond the years, not something temporary -- something enduring. the american experiment worked. they said god had endowed us with certain inalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. the right in this nation for each individual to pursue happiness as he or she chooses. this circumstance of birth would not be a barrier to what we might achieve. instead, our own effort could be that -- [chanting "mitt is it"]

[chanting "mitt is it"] >> thanks, guys. let's talk about the constitution again. [shouting] i am sorry? >> stop the war on the poor. [chanting "mitt"] [shouting] [applause] >> you guys, you know what? isn't it great to live in a country where people can express their views? this is a great country.

i love it. make it loud and clear. i will tell you one thing. when president obama is here, let us make sure the audience is making the same noise about his policies. [applause] i was talking about the course and direction of this nation, with the declaration of independence looking us choose our path in life. this became an opportunity nation, a place where based upon merit we could achieve our future. that meant that people got education and work hard, and took risks and had dreams. they could achieve great things. by virtue of their make as poorer as a nation. they made us better off. an opportunity nation drew the best and brightest from all over the world to this extraordinary country.

i want to our president today -- i watched our president today, and do not think he gets it. i think he wants to turn us into a european-style welfare state. i think he wants an entitlement society, our government's job is to get bigger and bigger, to take from some and give to others. the methodology of that approach is to create envy instead of ambition. it is to poison our respect for one another, divide us person- by-person. i want america to remain one nation under god. [applause] i will unify this great country. as a boy, i was taken by my mom and dad. they put us in a car and drove us around the national parks. it was a rambler. do you remember ramblers? a couple of you do. we go to the national parks, and made it, actually. along the way, we fell in love

with america. we saw the extraordinary people of this country, the beauty of our mountains and our canyons and our rivers. we saw people who loved our country. america the beautiful -- there was another verse i loved. for heroes proved in liberating strife. who more than self their country love and mercy more than life. do we have any veterans here? thank you, gentlemen, ladies. thank you for your service. thank you. i love this country's beauty. i love this country's people. i love this country's heroes. i believe it is time to bring america -- i believe in this country's heroes. when president reagan spoke of the shining city on a hill, it is not just the present. it is the future.

i know we have taken a detour these past three years. i want to restore those principles to america. i want to make sure the light from that shining city is brighter than ever. i want our kids to know their future is bright. i want an optimist in the white house, not a pessimist. i am going to do everything in my power to restore the greatness of this great country. with your help, we will do whatever it takes. let us get the nomination and become the next president of the united states. let's win this thing. thank you guys. thank you for your help. great to be with you. [applause] ♪ ♪

>> how are you? >> obama has been a lapdog of washington. >> i want to know what you are going to do. ♪ ♪ >> i am not going to try to kill any americans. good to see you. thank you. >> i will do my very best.

very rarely. like once a year. [laughter]

how are you? thank you. appreciate it very much. how are you? thank you so much. thank you so much. i appreciate that. good to see you guys. >> can we get a picture real quick? >> i appreciate your help tonight. all right. thank you.

good to see you. how are you? good to see you. appreciate your help to buy. duty tonight. thank you. i am so happy. thanks.

how are you? good to see you. i am great. how are you guys doing? thank you. thank you. thank you. how're you doing? thank you. good to see you. how are you? i love it there.

thank you. how are you? what are you doing here? that is great. thank you so much. thank you. thanks for being here again. >> since 2007, you've got my vote. >> i appreciate that. good to see you. i see a hand.

>> we love you. >> good to see you.

thanks for your help.

>> thank you so much. >> good luck tomorrow night. >> thank you. thank you.

>> thank you so much. good to see you.

>> mitt romney campaigning yesterday. his next public appearances scheduled for this evening in

des moines, iowa when the caucus results come in. an opinion poll shows the former massachusetts governor leading the other candidates but also show 40% are still undecided going into tonight's voting. the mitt romney campaign is already spending money in florida, beginning to spend advertising money. the associated press says the campaign aired the same andean iowa and other early voting states, and saying the decision to go to florida shows confidence. to new hampshire a week from today and florida january 31. here is a look at one of the ads the mitt romney campaign is running in iowa to convince caucus goers this evening. ♪ >> we appreciate all of you coming up this morning so early and being here. i think we all care right now but i think we are all concerned about our country. i believe in him.

i believe he has the experience. i have seen him in every situation. i have seen him as a husband, a father, a governor, and successful businessman. everything he does, he does well, and he does it with his heart. if there is ever a time this country needs someone like mitt romney, it is now. >> this election is about more than just replacing a president, it is about saving a vision of america. we still believe an america that brings out the best in all of us, that challenges each of us to be better and bigger than ourselves. it is time for this pessimistic president to step aside and let american optimism that both the greatest nation on earth build a greater future for our children. if you can get out here in this cold and wind and with the rain coming down, you can certainly come out tuesday night and you can bring a few people with you.

on the way to the caucus, you did tell them just who you will play -- both for. the principles thus made america great, and i will do this -- [applause] >> republican presidential hopeful newt gingrich says front runner mitch ramie -- mitt romney is not the man to challenge president obama. he and his rivals are threatening mr. romney's conservative credentials, and newt gingrich telling cbs if mitt romney faces president obama the president will "tear him apart." a poll this morning shows and newt gingrich with 16% in iowa, compared to mitt romney, leading with 23%. in the iowa caucus begins at 8:00 p.m. eastern and c-span coverage begins at 6:55 p.m. eastern, looking at where things

stand. we will take you live to a central iowa caucus at 7:45 p.m. eastern and bring statewide results throughout the night. c-span2 will be live from another caucus, from western iowa. >> go to facebook/com/cspan for more coverage of caucuses -- exclusive behind the scenes pictures, plus, "the road to the white house" video clip of the day. add your comments and vote in our facebook poll question. right now at facebook.com/cpan. amitay has governor rick perry is spending the rest of this last day campaigning in the des moines, iowa area, wrapping up another meeting with employees of a financial group and he goes to another employee meeting at nationwide. a final "des moines register" poll shows rick perry with 11%, far behind mitt romney and ron

paul. he compared caucus day to a military campaign, and experiences for states to come, specifically south carolina, january 21. yesterday perry campaign in perry, iowa. ♪ >> ♪ we're all americans we're all americans there's a farmer and kansas teacher in the bronx one raising kids the other raising crops in the melting pot i was just a boy had a best friend with a funny last name and a weird dance

now he is an ashton not -- astronauts and we are all americans in god we trust living the dream and never giving up and what we believe in and we're all americans work real hard like to barbeque every july 4 ♪ then i asked this before but there were not a lot of people in the room. it is this a good night to begin perry, iowa, or what? we are surrounded by former gubernatorial, future presidential talent. to start the ball rolling, to get to the point to introduce the man i had known a long time, my friend, rick perry. let's start with -- hi, mark davis, occasional limbaugh felon

-- ok, i am done. down in texas, this german is a neighbor, this gentleman is a competitor, a friend to texas, a friend to rick perry, a friend to america. give it up for louisiana governor bobby jindal. >> thank you all very much. thank you. i've got the privilege of introducing you -- great gridders i have served with in congress. but i want to give you five simple reasons it is so important we send rick perry to the white house. this election is not about personalities. it is not about fancy speeches. this election is about the direction and future of these great united states of america. [applause] we are blessed -- let me say this -- we are blessed to live in the greatest country in the history of the world. and i don't know about you all,

but i have no trouble saying it unapologetically, but i also believe as parents, we have a special obligation as americans. it is our obligation to leave the more complications -- opportunities to our children then we inherited. every generation has done that. the reason this election is important -- what is at stake is whether the opportunities to leave behind? to pursue the american dream or do we continue a path that mortgages are children's and grandchildren's future? five simple reasons why rick perry has to be in the white house, why we must make sure that president obama is a one- term president and leaves of the white house next year. [applause] reason no. 1 -- the president in the white house today believes we will tax our spend our way into prosperity. rick perry has cut taxes nearly 64 times, savings over $14

billion for texas taxpayers. he understands what they're never has been -- a society, state, or country, who taxed their way to prosperity. it is pretty simple. if you want to encourage activity, don't taxes. -- tax it. the president seems to want to tax everybody can, especially job creators. rick perry is not only talking the talk with a flat tax, but he has proven it, and will do the same thing for the entire country when we get rick perry into the white house. the second reason he is so important -- rick perry has a proven track record under -- track record. under president obama's leadership, this country has lost -- jobs, and the governor of texas created 40% of the jobs in the time period, created in the state of texas. a lot of people are promising jobs, promising to create an environment for the private

sector to grow. rick perry is not just talking about the buddy has done it in the state of texas. he will put the private sector back to work by cutting back government spending, shrinking the insides of the pro- government. the second reason we need to put rick perry into the white house. it's time to put americans back to work. that is why we need rick perry in the white house. the third reason -- rick perry understand the reasons -- do you understand the importance of cutting back all of these excessive regulations? you have an epa shifting jobs overseas. every day nearly 10 new regulations coming out of washington. it costs and thousand dollars for every manufacturing jobs in america to comply with those regulations. he has proposed a moratorium on deregulation -- these regulations until there is a cost-benefit process in place. but more importantly, he has helped lead the fight against obamacare, an epa trying to send jobs overseas, and other federal regulations coming out of

washington that are strangling our economy. for this reason, we need to send rick perry into the white house. [applause] fourth, rick perry understands the need for us to produce more of our energy at home, rather than spending -- sending billions of dollars overseas. he has embraced and all of the above strategy -- clean coal, renewals, biofuel, more oil production, nuclear power, conservation, solar, wind. we now have a president in the white house, whether the moratorium in the gulf, whether politically motivated decisions, whether his own energy secretary -- his own energy secretary says we need to get the price of gasoline up to european levels here in america. they are clearly doing everything they can to accomplish that and in the process sending more of our jobs overseas and sending more of our dollars to other countries. rick perry has proposed a specific plan, producing more energy at home, producing more than a million jobs here. he will not need years to study

whether we need to build a pipeline to keep america -- canadian business in america and not for them to send it to china. that is why we need the rick perry in the white house. fifth, and finally, i have seen firsthand rick perry's leadership in times of crisis. what it was hurricanes gustav or ike or the oil spill. no mistake, we live in a great country facing great challenges. we did not have time for on-the- job training. now more than ever we need a president ready to leave from day one. we have a president in the white house who is a great speaker would never ran anything other than his campaign, by the way, before we elected him as president. rick perry has executive leadership. i saw it firsthand. i will not tell all the stories. during the oil spill, you contrast with the obama administration did, drowning us in red tape when we were simply trying to defend our coast and way of life. the contrast it with rick perry,

who, during gustav, i called in the night before, the air space was about to close in new orleans, the federal government was struggling with the -- red tape to give us a promise imbalances. the very first airplanes that arrived in louisiana at the break of dawn were sent by rick perry from the texas air national guard. thanks to his help, we got them out of harm's way. [applause] will ultimately got aircraft from the northern command all the way up to canada but the first airplanes came from texas. i tell you what, he did not ask me do you have fema approval? he did not ask me to fact some forms. he did not ask me to sign anything. he took great decisive action because he has been a governor now for 11 years and under lip -- his leadership texas has grown. he does not need on-the-job training. i can tell you a lot more but the bottom line is this.

tomorrow is a very important day, not only in iowa but the country. it is time for us to turn this excitement and energy and turn it into real work. time to get our neighbors, friends, family out and make sure we helped elect rick perry as the next president of these united states of america. and it is my official responsibility to introduce another great american. sam is a great, consistent conservative voice in the united states senate when it was not always easy. he has moved over to the state house in the great state of kansas. helping to lead the fight to cut spending in kansas. he has aggressive, specific ideas to overhaul their health care programs, to create more jobs. what i love about having these great conservative governors, like rick says, that is what the founding fathers meant for having these laboratories of experimentation. sam brownback is on his way to make kansas one of the neck success stories. let us give a great iowa to governor sam brownback from the

great state of kansas. >> hi, bob. appreciate that. what a great state iowa is in the big guys are wonderful. it is a great place. being the son of a farmer, don't you love the farm land here? my home farm is about 8 inches deep and rick about six, on the goalies. but this is beautiful stuff. bobby jindal, fat in as governor of louisiana and here supporting rick perry. -- fabulous governor of louisiana. when i first met rick perry, he was running against an incumbent for ag commissioner in texas, jim hightower, who had a very left-leaning record, and nobody thought he could win. did they? they were saying, no, jim hightower is too well known and finance.

well, he did. he moved forward in texas politics to produce a state that is on a roll, growing jobs and building the economy the way we need to be on a role in the united states of america. he has done that. he has taken on a machine that pushed back against him, and he is doing it again. the washington machine is pushing back against him and he is taking it on again, and doing the exact things we need to do. how do you get congress to be part time? changing the federal judiciary. he is talking about changing the federal -- going to an optional flat tax. you pick and let's get this place rolling. but we've got to do it by taking on washington there and he is taking on washington. when i ran for governor in kansas, one of the biggest lines i used much of the time is kansas in our future needs to look a lot more like texas and a lot less than california. and you know what?

people knew what that meant. it meant less taxes, it meant more growth, it meant more opportunity for people. and that is what we need in the united states of america. that is why i am backing rick perry. this is the guy who's got the batting average. when you are going to pick a player, you want someone who is going to produce. and finally -- and this sealed the deal -- we called up the people of the united states -- rent the law facility and he said i do not care if i am the only guy who is in ussher, i will pray for the country because we need this. we need to ask the good lord, who has blessed this country -- blessing the united states of america. for these reasons, i am asking you as a fellow midwesterners to support somebody from a little further south, but somebody who has a proven track record and can get the job done. let us start him up with a big

perry.b-- chant of rick perry. [applause] >> sound -- sam brownback, bobby jindal. two great examples of what the 10th amendment is all about. i want to take a minute and just recognize a few people on the stage with me. my great partner, lieutenant governor of the state of taxes. susan combs, comptroller from the state of t s -- state of texas. my darling daughter, cindy. my son and his wife, meredith. and the love of my life, the woman who has made every day in my life better -- because almost 30 years ago she said yes to a request i had been making for nearly 16 years, my wife anita.

back to these two governors for a second. they are such great friends and competitors. you know, bobby, i have to watch kind of clothes because he is on the eastern side of texas and he will slip eight " -- lacrosse and still a job or two -- and he will certainly still a football player. he is an lsu guy, so he loves to talk about football now. it is important, but the only score board that matters is tomorrow,. when we win the big iowa caucus tomorrow. that is the one that matters. and i know i got a couple of great members of the united states congress who are here. one from your neighboring state of missouri, sam gray.

thank you for being here. another star of the united states congress, mulvaney from south carolina. these two guys understand when we talk about -- they are on the leading edges. and there are more of those members of the united states congress, united states senate -- which today but, soon, will be a member of, lord willing -- will understand how important when we are talking about making america more competitive. when we are talking about what this country needs is a president of the united states and a congress who will work with that president to pass a balanced budget amendment to the united states constitution. that understand that one of the most powerful ways that you can impact that culture of corruption and what is going on between washington and wall street is to have a part-time congress. cut their pay, cut the amount of time this and in washington. cut their staff. send them back home to have a

real job like you all have to deal with. live under the laws they pass. somebody said, that is a radical idea. i said no, that is not radical. we have a great opportunity to operate the 13th largest economy in the world in the state of texas. and our legislature meets for 140 days every other year. they come in in january of odd years. they get their work done. they passed the laws that need to be passed. we have a balanced budget amendment. they take that $600 a month that we pay them and they go home to their real jobs, sam. and they live with their constituents. that will work. it will work in washington, d.c. it is the power of the people. if americans are really ready to take this country back -- which i have seen it in my soul, that they are ready to take this country back -- they have seen three years of this president,

trying to spend our way to prosperity. let me just ask you -- are you better off today than you were $4 trillion ago? >> no. >> seriously, mr. president. you can't print more money. bobby now that are on the head with he talked about there has never been a country, state, city, or family, that has been able to spend in cells to prosperity. it has never worked. and americans know that. and they are ready to take this country back. there are young men and women serving around the world today who are great patriots, who are ready to have a president of the united states that does not go anywhere and apologize for america, because they are out there putting their lives on the line. as they have done so many times before. no president should ever apologize for the american --

for america. we are exceptional. you think about what the men and women of the united states military have done through history. david, we were talking about your dad and the great sacrifices our fathers made in the world war ii generation. young men and women serving today. how many veterans are in this audience? thank you for your service. god bless you. [applause] and there are a couple of veterans up here on the stage to i want to point out for a second. it is so important for me to have individuals like these who are supporting my candidacy, because they understand not only was i willing to volunteer and serve our country back during the vietnam conflict as a pilot in the united states air force, but also having been the commander in chief for 11 years in the state of texas and see our young and -- young men and women being deployed multiple times in these spheres of conflicts we have been asked to

send them. one of them is here with us today. as a matter of fact, two of them are with us today, who have extraordinary stories. one of them is a young navy seal. and in the mountain -- of afghanistan in 2005, he was on a mission to kill or capture a very high level target. and they were overrun. thao -- by taliban fighters. they were outnumbered 150-4. and the fight was on. and all of them valiantly fought. one medal of honor recipient, three navy cross recipient. he was the only one to come off than the mouth and alive. another 16 of his special operators were killed when they

were coming to rescue. you may have read the story. a "new york times" best-selling author, lone survivor, marcus latrell. thank you, brother. and his beautiful wife, melanie. melanie, thank you for coming. dan moran, come up on stage. this young marine, captain dan moran. his humvee was hit by an i-80 in afghanistan and he and another young marines were the only two who survived out of the five -- his humvee was hit by an ied. i got a phone call.

from one of my classmates. who was in theater. he said, one of our kids is coming your way. he is probably not going to make it. overgot third degree burns a substantial part of his body and his lungs are burned really bad. but he is on his way to brooks army medical center. i said, roger that, we will have our sister in law look after his family and do the best we can and keep him in our prayers. today i am proud to be standing by this real american hero, a man who has been through 30-plus surgeries, but one of the great patriots and christian brothers i've got.

[applause] that is part of what this is all about. it is about those young men and women. it is about supporting them when they come home. it is about making sure we have a va that works. it is about making sure we challenge the governors in these states to do everything that they can to make sure that when they come home, they not only have the support mechanism -- whether it is making sure that we have college programs to take into account their expertise and transform it where it they did

not have to spend more time at the university to be able to get the degrees to be able to get into that work force. it is being able to make sure that if they are disabled, that we give them tax breaks. it is being americans and saying god bless you for serving and putting your life on the line for us. that is what this is all about. [applause] but we can't do that, we can't do that if we don't first make sure we have an economy that is going on all cylinders. and the way to do that is to make sure that we are not over- taxing and over-regulating and over-litigating the business when and women, an entrepreneur is, individuals who know how to create wealth of the country. whether the energy side, manufacturing. when the chief executive officer of coca-cola says, like he did say this last year, it is easier to do business in communist

china than it is in the united states, you don't need a playbook to understand that, mr. president. cut the regulations. have the men and women at the epa, fda, the other out of the soup of agencies. we will pull every regulation that -- back that has gone forward since 2008 and we will all did it. it is a jocular, it is gone. if it helps create jobs, it will stay in place. -- if it is a job killer, it is gone. one of the great manufacturers, and john deere, it's got an epa regulation coming down the pike that basically says we will rural by some minuscule amount the nitrogen oxide emissions from these tractor engines to the tune of $20,000 more per tractor. that is just one of those thousands that body talk about,

of regulations. steve forbes was with us this morning. $1.70 trillion is what it costs americans every year in the regulations that come out of washington. $1.70 trillion. because there is some bureaucrat in washington, d.c., that never set foot on iowa soil, most likely, who is making decisions costing you money. but worse than that, it is a bureaucrat at the department of education deciding and telling you how to educate your children. it is time to do away with the department of education in washington, d.c. let the people of iowa decide how to take care of their children. that is what americans are ready for. listen, if you don't remember but one thing tonight, other than these great patriots that are here. i want to just add one thing --

i am so honored to have people like markets and dan who stood up and said, listen, we are for the sky -- marcus and dan. these guys know me personally. mike thornton, metal of onerous and be -- medal of honor recipient. those individuals are standing up and saying to their friends and veterans and fellow military colleagues, we need this man because we know his heart. we know him. they are making a difference for us to the veterans all across. but remember this one question as you leave here tonight. why would you settle for anything but an authentic conservative who shares your views and values and will go to washington, d.c., and not

apologize one moment for them. you don't have to. you got a choice. and that that choice is in a governor who has a track record of creating jobs, a governor who has been pushing back on washington, d.c., with the help of my colleagues in the senate and house. and we understand how to compete. we understand what our founding fathers meant when they had those enumerated powers for the federal government. it to stand in military, to secure and defend our borders -- it would be nice if they would do one of those really well. we get one out of two. varied enumerated and limited powers at the federal level. and then they said, the states are going to be where the competition occurs. the power is not delegated to the united states by the constitution, nor prohibited to it by the states, are reserved

for the states respectively. or to the people. the 10th amendment. these governors and a number of of the governor's understand that intuitively, that it is states that should be making the decisions on how to educate our children, how to deliver health care, how to build transportation infrastructure, how to take care of our environment. i can promise you, bobby knows better, sam knows better, how to take care of the faults of louisiana and kansas respectively, than some bureaucrat in washington. that is what this is all about. a president who is sick -- instinctively understands you let the states compete. allow the epa-type work to be done at louisiana level. and our people will do better. stand up and take out your pen and sign an executive order the first day you are in the oval

office and white out as much of obamacare as you can with an executive order. and let sam carry the legislation on how the house side that completely once it off the books and you could be a co- sponsor in the senate, david. we can get our country back again and get it on track and get it init in a hurry, so thatn get the energy that is sitting there. proven reserves. 90% of our reserves are not even being used. the dollars that could be used to create an energy industry, allowing that money from federal lands to go to pay that debt. this $15 trillion worth of debt. that is what this is about. this is not about me. it is about our country. our country is calling right now. they are asking us. our children are waiting for us

to answer the call. the question is this -- are we ready to step forward? i have thought about what the profit isaiah heard from the lord when he was asked, who shall i send? who will go for me? is a/s said -- here i am. send me. -- isiah said -- here i am. send me. our children are waiting for us. this is our challenge. are we going to answer that call? will you join me in the mission to hold of your hand, saying here i am, take our country back? that is the challenge. that is our mission. i will make us this pack. you have my back at the caucus, and i will have your back at the -- over the next four years

in washington, d.c. god bless us. god bless america. ♪[country music]

♪[country music] >> year on c-span, our live caucus coverage begins at 7:00 -- >> hear on c-span, our live caucus coverage begins a 7:00. at 7:45, we will have cameras in urbandale, to show you live coverage of the caucus voting. we will have your phone calls,

twitter messages, and phone -- facebook messages. you can also follow the presidential campaign online at c-span.org. you will find more info on today's events, and you can read what the candidates and political reporters are saying by clicking on social media buzz. >> this site has made up his mind. that side has made up his mind. i call a garbage, dr. rice, that comes from the mouth. i will call you anything and i want to call you. just be quiet. >> you do not know me. >> i can tell you right now -- >> i will remind members -- >> mr. brinkley. >> a confrontation between

representative don young in alaska and historian douglas brinkley. the fourth most watched video in the c-span radio library. watch for yourself at our home page. click on the most watched tab to view other videos from the past year. it is what you want, when you want. >> michele bachmann plans to make her final appeal for support in iowa at a caucus in blackhawk county, the central part of the state where she spent the first years of her life. she is scheduled for interviews. here's a look at one for campaign ads that has been running in iowa. -- one of her campaign ads that has been running in iowa. >> she consistently fought obama care and fought increasing the debt ceiling, even as other republicans cut deals with obama. she will cut foot -- call for

deep cuts in spending to restore the economy, reduce the debt, and never back down. one of our own for president. >> i am michele bachmann and i approve this message. >> every recent poll has michele bachmann in last place heading into the iowa caucuses after her summer win in the state republican straw poll. the minnesota congresswoman said she is banking on what she termed silent support not detected in the polling. we talk with her this morning for about half of an hour on "washington journal." host: host:our next guest is congressman michele bachmann. she is one of the candidates in iowa and joins us this morning from des moines. we just heard from a caller who said moral fiber is very important to him. do you think you can convince him to come to you? guest: i think so.

i am 55 years old. i have a proven record. i'm strong on traditional marriage between one man and one woman. i have been married to my husband for 33 years. religious liberty and the right to raise children at home. we have raised five biological children and 23 foster children in our home. we have broken hearts for children who are at risk. we have the first k-12 charter school in the country for at risk children. my wife speaks -- my life speaks to it. i came from poverty. i earn my way out of the poverty. when i was 16, i became a christian. i gave my life to jesus christ. he has given me a new hope. that is what this country needs, a new hope, and a new birth of freedom. when we are in hard times, in

countering the difficulties that our nation is encountering right now, whether it is death or the threat of war, nuclear iran, this is when people begin to pause and reflect on what works and what does not work. people need someone who can tell them the truth. i am a person who was very forthright. i say what i mean. i mean what i say. then i do it. people may not agree with me, but the one thing they know is i am real. i am sincere. that's part of what we're looking for for the next leader of the united states. someone who is not a politician. that is my calling card. i took on the establishment. i still and the girl who was raised and born in iowa. this is the value that created the greatness of the united states. those are the values that we need again. no one owes you a living. i remember my parents and my

grandparents say in that. it is important that we have opportunity, not the government guaranteed results. host: representative michele bachmann is running for president. she was the first republican woman to represent the state of minnesota. you led the iowa straw polls a few months ago. now you are pulling far below some of your competitors. react to your place in "the des moines register" poll on sunday. guest: this has been like wall street. no one has ever seen a presidential race like this where a candidate will shoot up to the top and be in first place for a matter of days or a couple of weeks and then drop. it is a very volatile time. wall street is like that.

this is a political wall street. the question is, what about staying power? what the voters are looking for has not changed. they want someone who is a true, core conservative. people have not found any political surprises in my past that would cause my candidacy to go down. they have seen candidates come into the race with money and a lot of excitement, but then people turn away from those candidates. i did what no other candidate did. i embarked on a 99 county tour. i am the only candidate with any current national security experience. this is a big issue. yesterday, iran announced that they have a nuclear fuel rods. they also tested a missile delivery system. it demonstrated two things. iran has the will to create a nuclear weapon. they have demonstrated the ability to transport that nuclear weapon to a target. this is very serious and highly

dangerous. i sit on the intelligence committee. we deal with the classified secrets of our country, just like president obama. we do not have time for the next president to get up to speed on dealing with these very serious issues in foreign policy. of all the candidates, i am the only one who is prepared, as commander-in-chief, to take over and assume the responsibility, and deal with the very real responsibility and threat of a nuclear iran. host: we were looking at "the des moines register" poll. you're in single digits. you come in fifth or sixth in iowa, what happens from there? guest: we have bought our tickets to south carolina. we will be campaigning there. then we will be in new hampshire. i will participate on the debate on saturday. these are snapshots in time. i won early on. the only statewide race that

anyone has won so far -- i am the only woman to ever win out of minnesota. i won as a minnesota member of congress. this is a long race. not only do we have iowa, we have new hampshire, south carolina, and florida. we are in this for the distance. i think america is ready for a new, bold, distinct president. it was someone who will follow in the footsteps of a ronald reagan or margaret thatcher. of all the candidates, i am the one who has been leading. i would ask the question, where were the other candidates during the fight for obamacare.

mitt romney, who instituted socialized medicine. rick perry, who also got behind health-care mandates. they are never going to repeal obamacare. i'm the only one who will. host: let's get to the phones and hear what america has to say. virgil on the line for republicans. good morning. caller: good morning, c-span. my question for representative bachmann is, with the majority of our financial support going towards ron paul than any other candidate -- how can you justify your comments that ron paul's foreign policy is dangerous and that he would wait until one of our cities got nuked before responding? i do not understand how our own

military can support ron paul. guest: i do not know how our military could support ron paul either. he would be the most dangerous precedent that we could have. he is to the left of barack obama. he is more liberal than barack obama. when it comes to legalizing heroin and cocaine, not standing up at the federal liberal to protect marriage -- overall level to protect marriage between a man and woman. the most frightening aspect of his foreign policy, the fact that he thinks it is just fine for iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. this is madness. as recently as august and september of this year, the president of iran stated unequivocally that he wants to see israel eradicated.

in other words, he wants to wipe israel off the face of the earth. imagine. ron paul would stand by and watch iran take out the nation of israel and murder millions of innocent people. also, iraq has stated unequivocally in august and also in september when the president of iran came to the u.n. general assembly -- they would also take out the united states. they would kill millions of people and then ron paul would act in self-defense. as commander-in-chief, i would do everything within my power. i would use everything at my fingertips to prevent that sort of a tragedy from occurring in the united states. we need a president who has taken off their politically

correct glasses. you need to look no further than the iranian constitution. it states unequivocally -- a religious system based upon violent radicalism. that is what the constitution of the ron states -- of iran states. we need to stop it. host: matt asks in footer if you believe a war with iran is inevitable -- on twitter if you believe a war with iran is inevitable. guest: i hope not. unfortunately, barack obama has weakened the united states more than any other president. a terrible mistake on the part of barack obama. it parallels the mystics jimmy carter made in the late 1970 -- it parallels the mistakes jimmy carter made in the late 1970's. that was the rise of modern jihad. we have seen thousands of

americans killed because the modern jihad. we need to stand against the price of the islamists. we need to stand up so the united states remains free, safe, and sovereign. i will do that as commander-in- chief. host: tim on the line for independents joins us from denver, colorado. caller: thank you. i worked on the reagan campaign. i think that george w. bush, in terms of raising taxes, -- i voted for clinton and obama ever since. i will vote for obama again. my question to you -- i think you are an extremely intelligent woman. i think ron paul is an extremely intelligent person producing -- person.

you both seem pragmatic. you're going into environment where it will be very difficult to win on the very right edge of the party. is there any rationale -- does it make any sense for you to reading for the campaign and take a more pragmatic -- to retinker the campaign and take a more pragmatic approach? here is the middle ground that makes the most sense. host: let's get a response from our guest. guest: it is important for you and the viewers to know why i'm running for president of the united states. again, i am a real person. i earn my way up out of poverty

by god's grace. i became a federal tax lawyer. my husband and i raised five kids. host: what do think about the idea of tailoring a message to make it softer around the edges and talk about the good and bad that has come out of the last few administrations? guest: i have talked extensively about the hope that we have. we have one shot to turn the country around. the one thing we have to do is repeal obamacare. that is what employers say -- the reason they are not hiring. they fear the cost and the regulatory burden associated with obamacare. there is no other candidate that is willing to stand and have the resolve to get rid of it. i really do care about the next

generation and the kids and the opportunities that america has. we will fall behind if we do not repeal socialized medicine. that was barack obama's intention. that was bill clinton's plan. socialized medicine. that will not work for america. we need freedom. we need liberty. where were the other candidates during these fights? i have been in the middle of the fight against obamacare. why? what am i for? freedom. liberty. a higher standard of living. a better life for the next generation. that is what i am for. i'm giving that message because the american people the true hope and true change. they were told they were going to get that under barack obama. instead, we have misery under an economy that cannot recover. i can do that. i have the practical experience,

background, and know-how, and the heart of love and compassion to stand up for this next generation of americans who deserve so much better. host: howards asked on facebook -- which government departments would you close or downside? guest: we need to pull about $1.5 trillion out of spending this year alone. the federal government spent $3.7 trillion. they brought in $2.2 trillion in revenue. it's 10 times more than 2007, the last year republicans handle the budget. that was $160 billion in deficit. this is the $1.5 trillion. it is 10 times more. i will repeal the legislation that anax these departments. the department of education. epa. we already have 50 epa's across this country. same with the department of interior, energy, and commerce. there are functions that need to go back to the states that the federal government should get out of.

only need to look at article one, section eight of the constitution to see the limits on congress. congress has ignored the constitution. i will not. if we get back to following the constitution, we will not be in deficit spending any more. host: lloyd from virginia joins us on the line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning. guest: good morning. caller: you keep saying that you rally against government. you keep saying by the grace of god you came up from poverty. my question is, how much money have you gotten from the government for those 28 foster kids of yours? you and i both know that you will never be president of the united states of america.

guest: i earned my way out of poverty by god's grace. my mother and father divorced, as has happened to millions of other americans. my family went from middle- class to below poverty overnight. my mother did the very best that she could. she could not even afford to buy my glasses. i started babysitting to fill the gap. it is not unusual. a lot of americans go through that. i worked and did everything i could. what i did was not forget children who are in challenging circumstances. we did the best thing we could. we open our hearts. we opened our home. we brought children into our home. we raise them up. they were great kids.

they have just come on hard times. reaching out to people who are in trouble and try to make them live their lives better. host: do you think foster families should get funding to take care of kids like that? i think the caller asked how much you received. guest: well, it may be different in every state. a our case, there's reimbursement for the food and clothing. it is not minimum-wage. it's not intended to pay anyone. no one is paid to do foster care. it is something where a person voluntarily takes children into their homes but i want to urge your viewers this morning to consider foster care -- into their home. i want to urge your viewers this morning to consider foster

care. the state will reimburse for food and clothing. cannot put a price tag on loving a child. that is what i think is important. been there for kids who need someone in their lives. host: "the new york times" has a story. it says it is unclear what kind of grass roots lift your campaign gained. what do you think about that? was it a worthwhile endeavor to take the cross state trip that you did? guest: we think it was. we demonstrated that commitment to iowans. we're thrilled that we did it. we saw thousands of people make a decision and go our way in the last few weeks. host: do you think it will make a difference? guest: of course it will. when i took it to ron paul over his dangerous policies over allowing a nuclear iran -- that is what energized people. people saw that this is

becoming a much bigger issue now. the volatility and the violence intended on the world's stage by the part of those that are radical islamists. i stand up against that. people see in me an individual that can take barack obama in the debates, the feed him come and go want to be the next president -- debates, defeat him, and go on to be the next president. guest: i do not deny your sincerity but i think you are stating the obvious. people already know the problems. the people who caused this are still in office. john boehner and his group are much like bill clinton and all the rest of them. they started these problems. in my line of work, a retired police worked -- if you make those kind of mistakes, you get fired.

lookout terrible things have to be before people -- look how terrible things have to be. it is a continued roller coaster. it is ridiculous. i am all in favor of going to war with iran, if you and mitt romney send your children first. i will be right behind you. thank you. guest: we need to take a look at who the commander-in-chief is, barack obama. we need to look at with the head of the senate is, harry reid. their effort has been to spend $1 trillion on building up big government. $1 trillion in "stimulus money." barack obama told us we would

have unemployment down and it would never reach 8%. that was obviously a failed policy on the part of barack obama. barack obama told us we would see a reduction in health insurance premium of $2,500 per year, per household, if we passed obamacare. instead, the opposite happened. every prescription he has put forward has been an absolute failure. rather than taking responsibility for his poor decisions as the president of the united states, he has been blaming everyone else. these are his policies. i will stand on the stage and hold barack obama accountable for those failures. that's what we need. i have thought barack obama. he knows me. we need someone who has already taken him on. that is what i have done. i have lived that life, as well. we need someone who knows what to do and who will stand up. host: sheila asks what you would do if you got rid of the

affordable health care law. she asks if that is the christian way? guest: we have not had a national health-care system prior to this. we have had the finest health care system world. unfortunately, obamacare will destroy the finest health care system in the world. that is why i am actively working to repeal obamacare. every state has a monopoly in the insurance industry. i would and that monopoly the insurance companies have been instead, i would allow any american to buy any health insurance they want anywhere in the united states with no minimum federal requirements. you cannot do that today. i want to take the real issue in health care, which is cost.

that will help enormously. secondly, i want people to pay for their health insurance with their own tax-free money. what ever their health need is, i want them to be able to pay for it with their own tax-free money. that is also cheaper. i want true medical malpractice reform. if you do those three items alone, you will significantly drop the cost of health care. you will have higher quality health care for a greater pool of people at a lower price. we have to get government out of health care and let the free market determine the products. host: what about the poorer americans that cannot afford that? guest: we have always had charitable organizations. that's how hospital started. churches began the first hospitals. if you have a federal liability shield so that doctors, nurses, and hospitals could offer free care to people who cannot afford it, they will end.

they used to. when i was a little girl in iowa, my mother did not take us to the doctor -- except when we needed it, but when we went, a doctor's visit was $5. what doctors and nurses used to do is just offer free care. when they knew the people and knew that truly through no fault of their own they could not afford the care -- now costs are artificially high because government is intervening and telling all of us who are paying for health care that we have to pay more. personal responsibility is a big part of the united states. healthcare is within range, if we just allow the free market to prevail. host: michelle, democratic caller, good morning. are you with us? go ahead.

you have a moment to ask your question of representative bachmann. caller: why do we have to interfere in iran and other countries, worrying about what kind of bombs they are building when we are doing it ourselves? what gives you the right to judge people on who should be allowed to get married and who should not? host: a question on iran and a question on gay marriage. guest: the united states has never said that they want to use a nuclear bomb to wide another nation of the face of the earth. that's very different from iran, a nation that has stated unequivocally in their constitution that they believe in jihad, and they believe in establishing a dominance of their religion and of their governance structure.

it is similar to a worldwide communism. if there's anything that history has taught us in the last 100 years, it is this. when a mad man speaks, we should listen. we have seen what mao did. we have seen what stalin did. we have seen what hitler did. this shows their intention. we would be fools to not take a look at what they're doing. i am not willing to risk your safety, your security, or the sovereignty of the american people over foolishly failing to look at the obvious at what is happening in the world today. as for marriage, i believe very strongly in the traditional definition of marriage between one man and one woman. throughout all of history, that has been the definition of marriage, between men and women.

i stand for that. that is the basic unit of our society. it is where children are reared. i stand for the traditional definition of marriage. host: representative michele bachmann, thank you so much. >> you probably have not heard much about jon huntsman. that is because he is skipping the iowa caucuses. he spent the day in new hampshire. the former utah governor said that he had no regrets about focusing almost exclusively on new hampshire. he has had the state to himself, but that will change tomorrow when candidates start arriving from iowa. "washington journal," will have political experts live, throughout the states. campaign events, one week from today, from tonight, primary

night in new hampshire. the conversation continues on facebook and our twitter pages. all of that is next week. our live coverage is from iowa. we will start on c-span at 7:00 eastern with the latest on the events and the campaign -- candidate campaign events today. at 7:45 we will bring you a caucus from central iowa and show you the voting. c-span 2 will also be live, at 7:45 with a caucus from a western iowa town called trainer. >> go to facebook.com/c-span for more on the road to the white house. you can add your comments and a vote in our facebook poll question. will the winner of tonight's

caucuses become a presidential nominee? right now, facebook.com/c-span. >> rick santorum is urging young voters to cast their first post a night for him in the iowa caucuses. he called it an important moment for our country. recent polls have the senator in third place behind mitt romney and ron paul. those who turn 18 by election day are eligible to participate. he is acknowledged fund-raising problems but said that a strong showing tonight could significantly help on that front. he is ready to move on aggressively. here's a look yesterday at an event in altoona, iowa.

>> can we get a couple of pictures? >> thank you. >> i hope we are not disrupting your dinner too much here. good to see you. our you? thank you. >> how are you? >> timing is everything. >> hi, how are you? >> i am from great britain. >> how are you? thank you. >> and good luck. >> thank you so much. how are you? >> do you think you can win tomorrow? >> we came here to win, and we hope we can do that. we are certainly working hard at it. we have a few folks here and we are feeling very, very good about things right now. energy and enthusiasm is what wins caucuses. i think we have the momentum right now and hopefully we will end up at a good place. keep working hard.

>> let's get this thing started. [applause] >> i was an intern on capitol hill. we are in the russell building. right across all, everybody is talking about young, strong conservative from pennsylvania. i never got to meet him while i was on capitol hill. two years ago we sat down at a restaurant and talked. we have had close to 380 town hall meetings. i am telling you, he catches fire. there is just desperation. i need your help. i need you to do something for me. i need you to join me in endorsing rick santorum. tell your friends, all your

neighbors and family. take them with you tomorrow night. if you do, rick santorum will be the next president of the united states. [applause] before you hear from the men of the hour, i want to introduce a real special person, a great american. and number one new york times

best selling author. give a shout out for brad gore. >> i know you are here to listen to rick, but he asked me to get up here and introduce him. i came here from chicago, illinois. i believe this is the most important election of our lives. the future of our country depends not only on the election coming up, but it is important how iowa will vote in the caucus tomorrow night. are we going to go back to a strong, prosperous america, or are we going to go the way of socialism? people say why are you voting

for rick santorum? it is about having a conservative in their who we know we can trust to do the nation's most important business. most important for me, the two biggest reasons or my children. i believe we need to leave the country for our kids and grandchildren that is stronger and more free than the country that was left to us. the only person who is going to do that for us is senator rick santorum. without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, i would like to introduce you to the next president of the united states, senator rick santorum. [applause] >> here we go. i don't want to hit my head. hello, everybody. how are we doing? how about that? no, that is not working. is that better? thank you all very much. one of my favorite authors is a great conservative who talks

about the real challenge is that america has in defending freedom. i know he does a lot of commentary on radio and television. he drove his whole family from chicago to come here to campaign for us here in iowa. i want to thank brad for being here. when we were sitting here at 3% in the polls, there were not a lot of people coming up and saying i want to help you because i believe in you. one person did. that was matt shultz. i worked with him a little bit on his campaign for secretary of state.

i just found him to be one of the real, solid, salt of the earth conservatives. he is already a leader in iowa and will be of future leader of iowa. he has spent the last three days with me. i want to give a special shot out to him. thank you very much for everything. [applause] we have been here in iowa at town hall number 380. all 99 counties, that was over a month ago. we have taken our time. this has been a real court ship. we sat and talked, sat across the table more times than not, and most of our town hall meetings have been sitting down at a table. i saw joe klein here. he was with me in corning, the home of john carson, i found out. there were five or six at a table. there was a small number in a cafe, and it was the night of a world series game.

there was not a very big crowd. that was the typical crowd. people say, why are you doing this? i said because i respect the process. i respect the fact that iowans are going to make their decision, and i want to give them every opportunity to get a chance to know not just what i believe then, but their chance to look at something that is important. look into the eyes of someone who wants to be a leader of the government. you cannot do that very well, or as well as we would like to, without that personal interaction. we have been traveling around

iowa. my family spent 3.5 weeks here in iowa prior to the straw poll. after that, the entire family was here, and after that we have had kids coming in and out. my son john and my daughter elizabeth are here, somewhere in that throng back there somewhere. the rest of the family came here. my wife, karen, is right here. you can applaud for karen. [applause] she is busy raising those seven children that we have. the rest of the family is here at the pizza ranch. this is pizza ranch no. 35 or 36 that i have been to, and i have been in rooms like this, usually with a lot less people. the other boys and my daughter -- this has been a real family affair today.

we have enjoyed the trips around. i want to say three things. number one is thank you. this has been an incredible experience. i don't know what these other candidates are doing, running their campaigns, but i cannot think of a better experience over the past several months and spending the time that i did in iowa, new hampshire, and south carolina. i have spent an enormous amount of time in all three. up until this last month, it was about an equal amount of time. i have been to new hampshire 30 times. i have done more events in new hampshire than anybody but jon huntsman. we have done more events in south carolina than any other candidate. these three states are the ones

that fight to be first, that have the tradition of being first. we respected that, and we went out and try to earn the votes of these people. we started here, and we end here tonight. this is our last big town hall meeting. i just wanted to say to each and everyone of you representing a lot of iowans. the three things i heard more than any other words was "welcome to iowa." people are just very happy that you showed the respect to them, asking for their vote and being in front of them and giving them the opportunity to do something, which is, in fact, a burden. it is a heavy responsibility. it is a huge responsibility. a lot of people make light of the iowa caucuses, but as you will see tomorrow night, it will have a huge impact on this race. the decision you make cannot and should not be taken lightly.

i wanted to at least do my part to help you in this difficult decision, by making ourselves available, sacrificing my time with my wife and my children, but this is the most important election in your lifetime. i have stepped forward, probably not the best time in my life to do it, but i did because i just felt this was something that when i look back at my grandfather and my dad, who were immigrants to this country, who fought hard to give me freedom, it is the least i can do at a juncture in history to fight hard for my children's freedom. that is what i decided to do, and we made that commitment. people said, what is the reason for your big rise in the poll these last few days? i would just say this. the reason is you. i talked about matt. i can also talk about jim gibbons, a dear friend and

someone who stepped up and helped us by endorsing us early this last month. i could talk about steve, a businessman here who stepped up a couple of weeks ago to help us. sam was with us yesterday and the day before. i could talk about what bob did 10 days ago in stepping forward. the bottom line is yes, they provided some leadership, but the real leadership is being provided by the people of iowa. i have always believed we would get our balance, not from a debate performance, not from a big, flashy report on how much money i have been raising or how many impressive folks i have in a super pak, but i would get it because we went out and earned the trust of the people of iowa. the people of iowa would do the

two things that i have been asking them to do at the end of my speech. that is, do not defer your judgment to people who know less about who these candidates are and you do. you fight to be first, lead. do what you believe is in the best interest of this country, and secondly, be bold. this country is at a critical juncture. do not settle for something less than what this country needs. you will have a victory, but it will not make the changes necessary to preserve that freedom and security for the next generation. one reporter said it was and ask, don't tell. i am asking you to be bold and lead, and i will let you make the decision. i trust the people of iowa. the number one state for website visits the last two weeks has been iowa.

i know you think you are the center of the universe -- the center of the country, sorry. i misspoke. believe it or not, you are not the biggest stake in the country. california is over 10 times bigger than you, and yet you have more searches and that of taxes or any other state. you are doing your homework. i cannot ask for any more. going around and asking you if the that is why i am going around and asking you to lead and be bold. to pick the candidate you believe it meets what this country needs. i know you are worried. a lot of folks have told me and a lot of the questions i get, can you win? one of the candidate said i am on delectable and cannot win. show me any other candidate in

this race who has ever won a state that we have to win in order to win the presidency. none of them. we have three congressmen who represent heavily republican district. we have a republican governor of texas who ran as a conservative. how hard is that? again, not a swing state. the governor of massachusetts ran as a liberal. he won, and did not run for reelection. why? look at his poll numbers. a poll numbers are not much better, but i stood and i fought. if you want someone who is always looking for the next political opportunity, you do not want a president like rick santorum. i am going to stand up and fight

for what i believe in when the political winds are for you or against you. i remember talking to shepard smith today on fox. he said winter you going to get the drift that your viewpoints are out of touch. i said the truth is the truth. just because some people or even most people do not believe the truth anymore, does not change it from being the truth. you stand for what you believe is the truth. if you are looking for that kind of leadership, then i think you should look our way. we stand up and we fight in good times and in bad. we stand up for the truth. we stand up for the values that made this country the greatest country in the history of the world. am i the perfect conservative candidate? no, i am not. you will find plenty of things that might opponent will point out. but my convictions are clear and strong. they are consistent. i may have voted for a bad thing or two, but i never advocated for the bad things. i may have voted for bill was something in there that i did

not like, but not things that were inconsistent with my values. i admit that on occasion, i have done that, but you will never find me out there violating the principles at the core of my being. if you want someone, as ronald reagan said, trust but verify. that is what iowans have been doing. every one of the republican candidates is saying how conservative they are. iowans are saying that is great, it is hard decision. most iowans have been undecided until the last couple of weeks. now they are starting to decide. it is the verify time. look at the records, get the information, and verify that what they say they are going to do exactly what they have done in the past. a lot of critics say i talk too much about what my record is, and i should focus just on what

i am going to do. that is what all the other candidates do, and they have had their moment. i said if i had their record, i would just talk about what i was going to do, too. but i have a record i am proud of. i want you to know that when i say i am going to do something, you can look back and say, he has always been there and fought for those things. this is not just here, it is here, and here, and here. get out on caucus night tomorrow night, 24 hours from now. speak to those caucuses. stand up and ask your caucus goers for help for rick santorum. stand up and walk around that caucus and campaign for me. about one-third of the people showing up to that caucus, we have been told, will be undecided. help them decide. if you want to make a difference here in iowa, you can do what i once do best.

ignore what the pundit class -- you can do what iowans do best. we need to be principals to win. [applause] send a message from the heartland. do what i would does, which is to make sure that the conservatives, one with a record of accomplishment, not just political, but also getting things done in washington, d.c. we have journalists here from all over the country and all over the world. we will not just send a message to iowa, but the midwest, the republican party, and the

country and the world. iowa, the state that will know the candidates better than any other. i hope you tuesday. thank you very, very much. i appreciate it. [applause] i am going to go in and talk to the crowd out there. there is another big crowd out here. thank you all very much. i will take two quick questions. >> the goal is to work together to do the people's work. >> the best thing you can do is

the old biblical passage. with television, the people will perish. one of the things that leaders should do is try to find a common set of values that we can all agree on, from which we can go forward. it is very difficult to find solutions when the premises from which you build your answer are radically different. what this president has done is to divide this country into two groups of people who have very different views. he has done his best to divide and hope he can get enough people on his side to ram through what he wants, instead of finding consensus on how to build this country together a and stronger. this is the most divisive president, in my opinion, from his political rhetoric, of any president in my lifetime. then he wonders why he does not get cooperation. he goes out and individually

vilifies members of congress. he vilifies anyone who opposes him. he has vilified repeatedly the past president of the united states. he blames everybody for everything, other than him. i know there are people in this room who will record it and keep me to it. i will do my level best, and once i am sworn in as president, i will never say the words barack obama again, at least in the context of dealing with the problem in america that is his fault. americans know that barack obama was handed a tough task. americans know that rick santorum will be handed a tougher task. i don't need to continue to rub salt in the wounds of folks who may have lost that last election, and create that antipathy that they president has. i need to work with folks to get things done, to shrink the size of government, to grow this economy, to make it stronger and safer. you don't do that by dividing, you do that by bringing people together. one other question.

>> what do you think is the biggest hurdle between now and nomination? >> what is the biggest hurdle between now and my nomination? 10 days ago, i was at 4% in the polls, and look at what is happening here. here is what i believe. here is what i know. money is not going to win this election. if that was the case, i would be below every other candidate and would not even be close. when we report our financial picture, it is going to be embarrassing. in the last four or five days, we have raised more money than we have in the last few months. we have done very well, and we hope to do a lot better after tomorrow night. but we are not going to run a big campaign. we are not going to hire a bunch of experts and staff. we will run the campaign that keeps continuing to interact

with voters, that is accessible and accountable. we will do our best to be lean and mean and set an example that you can win the presidency that way, and you can govern the country that way. we believe that is the best approach. we believe that is the best approach. we're going to go to new hampshire. we're going to get on television. we will increase that as the weeks go on. we think we can compete there. obviously, governor romney has been running there for many years, but we think we can do well. we have a lot of folks from south carolina. we have legions of folks that are helping us in new hampshire. we have a great team on the ground.

we are building that team. we are getting calls from all over the country. just not this last week, but longer. we will continue to do that and build an operation that works from the bottom up. thank you and god bless. [applause] >> [inaudible] >> i could not know that, right? ok. >> [inaudible] >> thank you.

sorry about this. thank you. >> we pick rick! >> let's hear it for rick santorum, the next president of the united states. [applause] >> thank you. thank you very much. thank you very much for coming out. what an incredible crowd. you put me in front of pizza and that is very dangerous. i want to thank pizza ranch for their hospitality.

it is great for them to do that. thank you for coming out. this is our last taha meeting. -- town hall meeting. we are here with the entire family. i am here with my wife. i do not know if you can see karen, but she is here. karen has been an amazing rock at home. we have seven children. we have a special needs little girl that requires a lot of care. for karen to step forward and say, i will support you, and you have seven children and having that responsibility doing over 100 town halls in the state

of new hampshire, it is a lot of time away from home. we felt this is what we were called to do. to go out and speak and lay out a vision for this country. a vision that was not just about taxes and spending and growth. if you have been to my town hall meetings, i talk a lot about those things. it is also about the values of this country. you cannot have limited government. if the family is creaking down and we do not live good, moral lives.

we talked about a strong national defense. we talked about having a principled leader that says what america's policy is, but then does things that will effectuate that policy. that is what this president has not done. it is important to have a leader that you can trust. [applause] we have trusted the people of iowa. karen and the kids, we came here in the summer. we brought all seven kids. we brought six this time. they are right in front of me. give a wave right here.

[applause] elizabeth and john had spent a lot of time on the road. peter and patrick have been home helping mom. it has been a divided family, but a united family. a mission and a message. >> thank you. [applause] >> i want to say to the people of iowa, thank you. i do not know what will happen tomorrow night, but this has been an experience. you have made me a better candidate, and a better person. thank you from the bottom of my heart for that. [applause] the three words heard everywhere i went was "welcome

to iowa." we're so glad you came and respected us enough to be in our town. in all 99 counties. we came because we trusted iowans. if we stood before them and related to them what our vision was for the country, what our record was, you throw on top of that, we told them how we were going to win the election. we're the best person in this field to take on not just barack obama comment to take on the challenges after we defeat barack obama. [applause]

i was saying to the people of iowa, this is my closing comment, do what iowans do, you fought to lead. you fought to be first. do not defer your judgment to a national polls and national pundits. trust for you have seen, what you have heard. trust the interactions you have had with the candidates. trust the work you have done in researching the candidates. you have done more than any other group and this -- in this country. you are doing your homework. i know because of all of that state's on our website we did visit from, the number one state for the past two or three weeks has been iowa. you are doing your homework, right? [applause] do not defer -- lead. if you want to be first, it is a huge burden.

this is the most important election in your lifetime. this is an important decision that many of you have struggled with. you want to get it right. trust your gut, trust your head. once you've made that decision, be bold. once you have made the decision of the right person is, be bold. go out and give america a signal from iowa that we want somebody who is up to what america needs. did not vote for someone because they can win. that is a victory that will feel very empty. it will not be like this pizza. you will walk out of those caucuses hungry.

$9.99 -- there you go. lead, and be bold. if you do those two things, you would have done your job as iowans. we believe they're the best person to lead this country, and therefore, they have the best chance of winning the election. that is what iowans are charged to do. if you do it, you'll not only shocked this country, you will shock the world. you will put this race in a completely different place than it was just a week ago. you'll do a great favor for your children and grandchildren. god bless you. god bless america. [applause] thank you.

they gave me a tremendous opportunity. i will be forever grateful matter what happens. thank you. all right. >> we pick rick! >> i just about to reach in there and grab one of those babies. >> [inaudible] >> thank you. we really appreciate it. >> thank you so much for coming out.

>> how does it feel to be a contender in this race? >> i am very thankful for the people of iowa for putting us in this position. >> [inaudible] >> i do not know what the question was. if you look at my record, no one worked more on poverty and with the african-american community than i did in the united states senate. i did an enormous amount of work in the inner city. i have to believe -- look at what i said, i believe every american should not be dependent on government.

we're not doing anybody any favors without. i am very proud of the work i've done. talk to anybody in pennsylvania, philadelphia, the work i did in the city and the urban areas, we did more than any republican. thank you. >> there you go. >> thank you.

>> i think we have a great record and i'm willing to go out there and compare it.

>> we will be an america that is very involved in the world.

>> we will keep working. that is what people want. >> we appreciate that.

>> rick santorum yesterday. there were reports that he was heckled by ron paul supporters this afternoon. he will head to new hampshire tomorrow. our coverage on c-span gets underway tomorrow of candidates campaigning in new hampshire ahead of next tuesday's primary. we will bring you jon huntsman at four o'clock eastern. rick santorum will be at a nursing home at 7:30 p.m. our live coverage from iowa tonight gets under way close to 7:00 here on c-span. we will have the latest on today's events and the caucus getting under way in central iowa and about 7:45 p.m.

that will be followed by statewide results, a candidate's speeches and your phone calls. on c-span-2, we will bring you caucuses from western iowa. you can keep track of things online at c-span.org. find out what reporters are saying. find out what candidates and the campaigns are saying. record advertising spending in the iowa campaign this year. here is a look at some of the ads leading up to tonight's caucus. >> born and raised in iowa, only one candidate has been a consistent conservative fighter who fought obama care, fought increasing our debt ceiling even as other republicans were cutting deals with obama, an expert in tax law who will fight to reduce america's debt, restore our economy and create clean jobs. she will never back down. one of our own, michele bachmann

for president. >> i am michele bachmann and i approve this message. >> america is in trouble. >> government is a disgrace. >> washington has become too big. >> we cannot afford to make the same mistakes we have made in the past. >> net romney has a reputation as a flip-flop for. >> he has serial hypocrisy. >> this election is about trust. there has been one true consistent leader, dr. ron paul. >> he seems like a more honest candidate. >> he tells the truth about what he believes whether you like it or not. he has never once voted for a tax increase or an unbalanced budget. >> his plan to close five departments is what we need. >> when he says he plans to cut $1 trillion in the first year, i believe it. >> ron paul. >> ron paul. >> ron paul is the one we have

been looking for. >> i am ron paul, and i approve this message. >> we appreciate all of you coming out this morning so early and being here and caring. i think we all care right now. i think we all are concerned about our country. i believe in him. i believe he has the experience. i have seen him in every situation, as it has been, as a father, as a governor and as a businessman. everything he does, he does well. if there was ever a time when this country needs someone like mitt romney, it is now. >> this election is about more than just replacing a president. it is about the vision for america. we want an america that brings out the best in all of us, something better and bigger than ourselves. it is time for this president to

step aside and let the american optimism that built this nation build a better future for our world. >> if you can get out here in this cold and this way and, then you can get out tuesday night, and you can find a few people to come with you. i believe in the principles that made america great, and i will restore them with your help. >> just under three hours until the caucuses get under way in iowa. this morning, we spoke with the editor in chief of the iowa republican about turnout predictions and predictions for the ultimate winner tonight.

host: crag robinson is the editor in chief of the iowa republican. what are you making of the polls right now? guest: in the case of ron paul and mitt romney, they have spent a lot of time in iowa. rick santorum has done something like 380 town hall meetings. the three candidates on top of the polls are actually the three candidates who have given iowans the most opportunity to get to know them. i am not surprised in this final day to see that those three

candidates are one, two, three? host: what do you think of i was role in the presidential roletion process -- iowa's in the presidential selection process? guest: i think a ron paul victory beat the establishment thought that it would be bad. look, he came into iowa. he has campaigned hard. he has shown that any type of republican can go out and build an organization that is smart enough to win. i think and a ron paul victory would be a good thing. host: the latest poll shows ron paul and mitt romney that 21%,

rick santorum at 18%. financialg from the times. our guest is greg robinson, the editor and chief of the iowa republican. give us a call if you would like to join the conversation. as you have been following this, what is the most interesting story you have done to date. guest: there are so many. it is difficult for me to nail down. rick santorum has become a bit of a cinderella story. yesterday, he was filling up

entire restaurants with people who wanted to see him right before the caucus. i think being with newt gingrich since he was strolling all alone on the grounds of the straw poll with no presence there now to be where he was just a couple of weeks ago is an amazing story. and really, the thing that impressed me the most, it seems like every single candidate has not only had their time in the sun, but they have also been vetted. we might be leaving with the most affected troop of candidates there has ever been. host: what seems to be reaching people? rick santorum has spent so much time in iowa, but michele bachmann was born in iowa.

our candidates gaining traction through messaging over the airways and finding other ways to reach voters? guest: i think retail politics still matters in iowa, but i think it is a healthy combination. i think a candidate has to have shoe leather in iowa if he is ever going to do well. i think candidates like newt gingrich and rick perry waited too long before they really started to barnstorm the state. going out and giving iowans an opportunity to actually meet them in person. the things i think matter the most our consistency, that word matters a lot, and trust. i think if you look at how well ron paul has done, he has said

it in the only one who has been consistent throughout my entire career, and you can trust me. rick santorum is saying in a conservative leader you can trust. i think this election really boils down to one word, and that is trust. host: batten rouge, louisiana. go ahead. caller: if i could take my vote back from barack obama, i would. i think he has us living in a police state. guest: i think there are a lot

of people out there that feel this way. if you look at the tea party movement and the occupy wall street movement, they are tired of government picking winners and losers. host: we have an iowa caller joining us. chris, welcome to the program. caller: i just want to remind voters that republican showboating in congress is all they seem to care about. host: are you going to participate in a caucus to night? caller: not in the slightest.

i am a supporter of obama. host: let's get a response. guest: when chris called in, i thought maybe he was a ron paul supporter. jackson county is not really a targeted county for these republican campaigns. ron paul put forward a huge effort in jackson county. he had a satellite office up and running. a few days later, he had a tremendous crowd. i thought he might be from there. i think one of the great stories, one of the great things i have witnessed is the strength of the ron paul campaign in terms of the ability to have passionate people open and operate offices in counties were other people are not organized.

host: are no rights in and says, when you see the ron paul crowds in iowa, realize that half those people are from other states. guest: i was in the morning yesterday and i think that was probably true of that crowd. four years ago, a lot of people said that all the ron paul people were out of town. his movement is not necessarily as large as it seems at these rallies. i think we have to be careful when we say that. i think that is probably true of a lot of candidates. at this time in the race, there are a lot of people outside iowa who come in to be part of it. i think that is a criticism that would fit every campaign at this time. rick perry is bringing up two

hundred-300 texans to help them out tonight. we have to keep that in mind. ron paul's crowds have been impressive in iowa. i think the recent crowd of over 1000 people at the university was mostly iowans. he has support on the ground, and it is sizeable. we have seen invalidated in the polls. i do not think it is wise to write off ron paul by saying that his supporters are from out of state and this is some artificial type of movement. i do not get the sense that it is artificial at all. host: here is a comment from twitter. do you not see ron paul is being the establishment because he has

been in office for 30 years? we are also getting comments on the facebook page of a similar vein. guest: in iowa, we have a congressman who has been in washington for a decade, but i do not think anyone would ever call him establishment. he goes to washington and fights the good fight. i think ron paul has constantly been a thorn in the side of even people in his own party. looking at the situation we're in, when we're talking fiscal policy, he has done a phenomenal job and being very consistent. yes, he has been in congress, but i do not think he is establishment. host: he created his own campaign and fund-raising firm

and was a political director of the republican party of iowa in 2007 and was recallable for organizing the 2007 straw poll. he served as a field coordinator in 1999 and he has helped republican candidates implement strategies for their campaigns. your hear some of predictions. a couple of days ago, you said you expect mitt romney to win by a nose. does that still hold? guest: i think this is what we have to see. it is tough when you put your predictions out there. i did not want to look like i was copying anyone so i cannot -- came out that morning with some predictions. i think the number one issue in this election is that republicans want to beat president obama in the fall. in mitt romney, they get a candidate who most people see is the most viable and long term

so i think there are a lot of people who are going to go to the polls and vote for mitt romney, basically saying here is the guy that can go all the way. i think it is really a jump ball between mitt romney, ron paul, and rick santorum, but i give mitt romney the edge. host: in baton rouge, louisiana, good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to say very quickly -- i am a supporter of ron paul. i supported him in 2008 in the primaries. i voted for john mccain. i think we are so brainwashed. i know that is a strong word. we are so used to having other people tell us who is legitimate and who is not

legitimate and we naturally fall into a category of letting people choose our winners and losers. not only in politics but across the board. we seem like we are so dumb down in this country that we cannot have the ability to critically think and look at the candidates whatever the circumstance may be and look at what we believe in and then think for ourselves what we like and what we do not like. we are so used to having people -- last year, i did not support president obama. he was way behind senator mccain. a lot of black african american were people were saying he should get out of the race. he has a planned. ron paul has a plan. everything is possible. thank you very much for the time.

guest: i cannot agree more with the caller. being in iowa and covering this race, it is frustrating sometimes to hear people from the belt way and other parts of the country deem that the only viable candidate in this race is mitt romney. i do not believe that. the only thing that makes a person bible is the amount of money they are able to raise -- the only thing that makes a person viable is the amount of money they are able to raise. rick perry has spent the most money in iowa in the amount of advertisement he has run on tv. i think this is an issues election. i would not write any candidate off.

we are going to hear a lot of stories tonight whoever wins the caucuses if ron paul and rick santorum merge, i think a lot of people are going to brush it off. i think that ron paul has shown in this campaign to be a very aggressive -- very aggressive in terms of his posture against other candidates. i think you could see ron paul go after mitt romney in a very serious way to bring him back down to earth in new hampshire. going forward in south carolina and even florida, this is not an easy cakewalk for mitt romney. i think that argument is foolish to make right now. we should sit back and watch what happens. if we are talking about the viability, and you get ability by raising a lot of money, president obama has more money

than any republican candidate will ever have. i think those same people will say the republican nominee will always be viable against an incumbent. host: folks can join the conversation on twitter. jimmy weighs in with his predictions -- romney, then santorum, with newt gingrich and ron paul tying for third. our guest is the editor in chief and sounder of the iowa -- founder of the iowa republicans. this is what he says on the web site, talking about who can come in the lead looking at a squeeker with mitt romney pulling. what are you looking at in terms of numbers? are you thinking that will have more folks turning out tonight than four years ago which was the biggest number on record? guest: right. trying to predict turnout is

always difficult. coming into this election, coming into this week or last week, i thought turnout would be similar to 2008 but slightly less. i changed my mind a little bit and i think we are going to have a higher turnout, around 127,000 people tonight. i think that is a good number and it is probably good for all the candidates in called. -- involved. all of the attention that has been given to this contest, all of those campaigning -- turnout will be heavier than it was four years ago because these campaigns are doing more to reach out to voters. host: good morning. caller: good morning. i just wanted to say that -- ok, so i voted for barack obama in the last election because he

was the outside guy who promised to bring a lot of change to washington. in addition to that, i voted for him because i felt as though we were getting ready to turn into some of the worst times that the country has seen in many decades and wanted somebody in the position of president who would be sensitive to the needs of folks who are running into hard times. having said that, this go- around, i am not going to vote for him because i feel like he overreached in a couple of areas. but i'm for newt gingrich, and i realize he has a lot of that history behind him, but at this point, listening to the candidates, he is the one who in my opinion has come up with the greatest number of answers to the types of problems that we are facing, so i am really

taken with him. having said that, i want to ask craig a question. i am looking for some education here. i will ask my question and then get off and listen to your answer. i get ron paul about where he stands on wars, and i do like that, but isn't he not for any social security or medicare whatsoever or am i just wrong? thank you for your time. guest: i think what i have heard and i might not be fully briefed on this issue but i think ron paul supports medicare. i think it is social security that he does not like as a federal policy.

i think that is where he is. i have not done a lot on that issue. i heard him defend medicare on a sunday morning show this week. host: "the new york times" listed all the candidates competing in the republican field and looked at their take on the issues. they say that -- let's go to iowa where craig joins us on the line. caller: hello. i am supporting newt gingrich and i am going to the caucus tonight. i am hoping that iowans will see how newt has been demonized and millions and millions of dollars have been directed to knock him down.

i think he is the right guy for the time and has the experience. a lot of the ads are all half- truths. i am hoping that fairness will show up tonight and he will do a lot better than what people expect him to do. i think a lot of people know that he is a good debater. a lot of the mud that's been slung is just so over the top. guest: i think he is one of those candidates that we have to watch tonight. he has a chance to outperform his current polling numbers because this is a candidate who has spent a lot of time in iowa. we have seen it newt gingrich

all the time in iowa. he comes to our state fair every year. he really does take in. even four years ago when we were drafting the republican party platform at the state convention, newt gingrich did a seminar with people who were working on the platform who care about those issues about drafting a platform that is practical that we can use. he has given so much of his time and i think there are a lot of people out there despite all the negative attacks on him and his baggage, i think they like newt gingrich because he is a fighter and has ideas. they like him because he has a great perspective on history. i would not be surprised if newt gingrich surprises tonight. if he can get into the top three, i think it will be a huge night for newt gingrich. host: looking at a comment from

twitter -- our caller a few moments ago asked about medicare and medicaid. let's look at a recent article from last month which says -- go ahead, craig. guest: i think there are a lot of people -- a lot of republican candidates who want to block grant money back to the states, so ron paul's position is pretty consistent.

host: longview, texas, good morning. caller: good morning and thank you for taking my call. i just wanted to say that the majority of americans, the working-class americans, we need to open our eyes as to what is going on in our country. it is only getting worse. this country -- some of us are still going through racism and sexism and all of those types of things. this country is going to the halves and the have-nots, and the main problem are these out of control corporations. and the congress and the senate who do not have the american people's interests in mind any longer because they serve these corporations. the wages is where the problems

is. a lot of republicans and democrats do not address that. he laughed at that later went it -- nader when he was brought up when there was unequal wealth distribution and there needed to be universal minimum wage. there should be. there are a lot of corporations in this country now where if you call for any service for anybody, you are not going to even -- you are not going to speak to even an american. host: let's get a response from our guest. let me mention that ted robinson has an op ed looking at the slush funds of iowa and how there is some major money coming in through the pacs. talk to us about the concern of big corporations and how the pacs are playing a role. guest: sure.

i think there is a problem in an america where we focus on the two extremes. we need to focus on growing small business and local business and manufacturing jobs so we can lift all folks in america. i think there are candidates out there who do that. i come from a blue-collar family. my dad is a diesel mechanic. i used to ride to work with him. thankfully i worked in the office. he would come home covered in grease. we have to realize that not everyone is going to have a white-collar job. we need to lift all boats, not just corporate profit lines. there are a lot of people that are upset.

republicans, democrats, and independents who think -- we need people think -- all votes. are you asking a question about -- host: let me read from the op- ed piece today from "the new york times." it says the best example is mitt romney who has spent more than a million dollars on up- beat ads. meanwhile, -- folks are saying that he has outsourced his negative advertising to a group that has raised millions of dollars to inundate his opponents with attacks. guest: absolutely. this is how campaigns have changed and how the 2012 cycle is different from the 2008 cycle. i think one of the things we need to do is to find a way to

identify the pac's and what candidates they support. they have to fly with who they -- the romney superpac has to disclose who they are are advocating for and who they are advocating against. i think that should be -- they have to identify who they are advocating for and who they are advocating against. i think there has to be some sort of connection so the viewer can discern which pac the candidate aligns with. they are attacking newt gingrich on two things that mitt romney has been attacked on. a lot of folks see this and think that romney is attacking newt gingrich on the things that

romney is guilty of himself. we need to tweak some things a little bit so you understand this is a pro-bromley group or pro-whoever candidate group so they cannot just fine clever names so you do not know who they are pushing or advocating for. host: c-span is in iowa today. tonight, c-span will be watching the caucuses as they unfold. we will be in a couple of places. you can find out more on our website at c-span.org. you can look at archived videos, interviews with candidates as well as members of

their staff, and look at some of their closing arguments. some of the candidates were giving their final message, and you can see that at c-span.org. c-span will be at the caucus later on this evening on c-span and c-span2. the caucuses kick off at 7:00 local time, 8:00 eastern time. what are you going to be doing and where are you going to be tonight? guest: good question. i am going to go to the caucus and then come back. we have a live webcast that we do. we will have live reaction of what is going on and we will be talking about what we need to be looking for in terms of as these results come in and who needs to do well in which part of the state and who needs to pick a party as the votes come in.

host: john huntsman says -- the express confidence in his decision to skip iowa and bet the farm on new hampshire. what is your response? guest: what if new hampshire does not pick john huntsman? is it over? look, to me, it has been frustrating to see some of these comments that the mint -- that have been made by other people from new hampshire, this kind of back-and-forth. i do not think there is any place for that. as someone who has participated in a major weight in three different caucuses, iowa has its role and we win on the field.

new hampshire has its role as well as south carolina and florida. i do not think -- i think we should work together to preserve this process because i think it is a really good process. this whole notion that we can write off iowa for any reason is i think absurd. i think it was a mistake for john huntsman to ignore the state because look at the media attention that has come out in the last month and a half. the game is being played in iowa today. i think he has made a tactical error for his campaign. i do not think he should be discussing about predicting president. i think there is a good chance new hampshire will not be picking jon huntsman. host: in the form of "usa today," --

you mentioned that iowa has played a traditional role, but is there a reason why you think it should be left to i what -- iowa rather than rotating to other states? guest: look at this race. look at how this race is on folding. iowans are late-breaking. one reporter i talked to earlier this week -- i was asking him about the caucuses -- he said that iowans are great shoppers. if you go to a mitt romney event, you are going to see a mitt romney supporter but also supporters from other candidates because they want to see them on the ground. we really do take it seriously. i think we he